Time flies

I feel like I just wrote yesterday, but it was four days ago. How did it get from Monday to Tuesday? It's weird because on one hand time is going very slowly (as I have no specific place to be everyday), and on the other hand, it's flying by...

Things are moving quickly because everyday is packed with so much - even when it's not. Life at the hostel (where we are living until we find an apartment) is never without excitement. People come and go on a daily basis from all over the world. The mix of languages and cultures is thrilling. I am also learning more about working here. I can now show someone around, check them in and out, and am even approaching people (Spanish-speakers, too!) when they are sitting at the table with two guidebooks looking confused.

A merging of cultures has happened on a more micro-level as well. This week we had a long lunch with friends of Arturo's and tomorrow night we have a dinner planned. Slowly, in small groups, I am meeting everyone. Everyone in Arturo's life (actually, all the Peruvians), have been very friendly and welcoming. However, my limited Spanish means that at some point people are trying to speak English or I am smiling and nodding and laughing with others, but am understanding little.

A current hot topic which, as in all countries, involves many opinions, people talking over each other and lots of emotion - making it extremely difficult to follow along in Spanish - is the return of ex-President Fujimori for trial with charges/accusations about bribery from the past. He has been in exile in Brazil for the past decade and it's a hot topic about what his sentence will be, how much time he will actually serve and whether it will be in seclusion in his house or in prison, and more. I am still understanding it all myself or I would just write a full explanation here. If you are interested in knowing more, here's a website I am currently studying: http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/inca/fujimori.html.

The good news is that next week I will begin a week of private Spanish classes. This is a little more expensive - about $20 more - but hopefully it will push me along further than I am. Spanish is definitely the one thing that is frustrating me. It's limiting how I can live here and the amount I must rely on Arturo...which is difficult for someone as independent as me. If all I needed to do here was ask directions, shop and eat in restaurants, I would be fine. However, I am trying to live here - to find an apartment, to sign up for a gym, to socialize in groups, and so on.

On a more laughable, but not enjoyable, topic is that of mierda. For those of you who do not speak Spanish, here is your first lesson (and isn't it always the bad words that we learn first?). Let's see if you can figure out what mierda is. It has, oddly enough, played an important role in my life for the past two days. Arturo's hostel is in an old house (http://www.albergueverde.com/) which comes with charms and challenges. One of these challenges is that every few years the 'plumbing' system needs to be cleaned out. We noticed that the toilets weren't flushing with a lot of water pressure and so Arturo arranged for a plumber to come. The 'back-up' pipes needed to be cleaned of all the mierda from the past three years. We left while the plumber was still working for lunch and returned to a hostel which smelled like a farm. No, that's not right. A farm smells much, much better. It turned out that the plumber couldn't finish and just left - with all of the entry points to the backed up pipes open. We flew into action. Arturo and a friend of his, a trekking guide, closed and sealed the entry points with limestone; I went out a bought incense sticks to help with the smell; Arturo explained to the guests what was going on. The next morning, Arturo got a different plumber to come and they fixed the entire things within two hours. It's a big joke now...la mierda...but I think it's only funny because it was resolved quickly and easily in the end.

Last but not least, as mentioned before, Arturo and I signed up for rock climbing at an outdoor/indoor gym. We went and 'practiced' on our own for two days (it was fun, but without any real skills) and then took our first official lesson of the course. We learned how to use our legs instead of our arms, although I obviously need more work as my arms are sore today and not my legs. We'll continue to practice the techniques we learned over the next few days and then will take our next lesson. I'm really excited (but so sore)!! If you want to check out where I'm learning to climb, go to: http://www.basecampperu.com/.

Time to get out into Lima and keep exploring so I am not proofreading this and apologize for any errors above. Que sera sera!